Fall 2009 Just Piced Newsletter, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service

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versit y of Vermont and herresearch and extension teamhave received continuedfunding for the OrganicAproject from the USDAOrganic Research and Edu-

cation Initi ative. Their project objectives are outl ined.

Janna Beckerman has a newPurdue Universit y Exten-sion publication on manag-ing scab-resistant apple va-r ieties. While these arehighly recommended fororganic growers, they alsorequire an integrated man-agement approach to keepscab at bay. Kathleen De-

late of Iowa State Universityreleased a new publ icationat our August field day ti-tled “Organic Apple Pro-duction in Iowa.” Thank

(Continued on page 2)

-Deirdre Birmingham

In this Fall 2009 issue of JustPicked you will find informa-tion on and an applicationfor the new Organic TreeFrui t Association. Be sure

to consider joining thisunique association of grow-ers that has grown out ofour Network through theeffort s of i ts advisory coun-cil.

Another development is theincreased support coming toorganic farmers from theUSDA. Read about twoprograms that you shouldconsider using: EQIP andCSP.

And to continue the alpha-bet soup, crop disaster assis-tance, known as NAP, hasan important Novemberdeadline approaching for

2010 coverage.

Patty McManus updates uson research on the use ofcopper to control cherr yleaf spot.

Michigan State Universityresearchers update us ontheir ongoing research withJim Koan of Al-Mar O r-chards to integrate organicpork and apple production.Jim also provides an outlineof his 2009 managementstrategies and thoughts thathe shared at our June fieldday at his orchard. MattGrieshop updates us on hiswork wi th Jim to grow hopsorganically as a complemen-tary crop to apples. Nu-merous handouts from thatfield day are up on our web-site.

Lorraine Berkett of the Uni-

W E L C O M E A N D F A R E W E L L

Deirdre Birmingham, Network CoordinatorMidwest Or ganic Tree Fruit Growers Network7258 Kelly Rd.,Mineral Point, W I 53565TEL: [email protected] http:/ / www.mosesorganic.org/ treefruit/ intro.htmNewsletter layout by Anna Maenner, ACM Inc.

M IDWEST O RGANIC TREE FRUIT GROW ERS N ETWORK

FALL 2009

JUST PICKED

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

MA N A GIN G SC AB

RESISTAN T

APPLES

2

D ISASTERCOVERAGE

2

APPLE PRO JECT

EXTENDED

3

USDA REWARDS

GROWERS

4

FIELD DAY

RECAP

6

O RGANIC APPLE

H O U R

7

CO PPER SULFATE

FUNGICIDE

8

APPLE & HO G

PRODUCTION

9

O RGANIC HO PS 9

OTFA U PDATE 10

OTFAAPPLICATI O N

11

CALENDAR 12

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3

Funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.mosesorganic.org/treefruit/intro.htm

http://www.mosesorganic.org/treefruit/intro.htm




The Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, known asNAP, is a Farm Service Agency program that has provisions for un-insured crops such as tree fruits. The NAP “was designed to r educefinancial losses that occur when natural disasters cause a catastrophicloss of production.” It provides coverage simi lar to catastrophic

crop insurance provided by insurance agents. See the Fall 2008 issueof Just Picked, page 9, for a grower in our Network who uses NAPand the USDA’s “l imi ted resource farmer” provision.

One must apply for the coverage by specific dates. For tree fruits thedate is November 20,, 2009 for coverage in 2010. The form to becompleted is called CCC-471. An application fee of $250 per cropapplies wi th a limi t of $750 per county in which you have crops.The application fee is waived for limited resource farmers. Limitedresource producer status can be determined using the USDA Lim-ited Resource Farmer and Rancher Online Self Determination Toolat http:/ / www.l rftool.sc.egov.usda.gov/ tool.asp .

Janna Beckerman of Purdue University provided information onmanaging scab resistant apple varieties in our Spring 2009 issue ofJust Picked. Further information is now available in an Extension

bull etin ti tled “Managing Scab-Resistant Apples” at http:/ / www.extension.purdue.edu/ extmedia/ BP/ BP-76-W.pdf .

She also adds: “W e have found scab on Enterprise, Pristine, PixieCrunch, Redfree and Liberty.” So “effectively managing these treeto pr event further erosion of scab-r esistance” is key. “Successfulapple scab management … combines resistant culti vars, good hortcultural practices, sanitation, and fungicides.”

An excerpt from her Extension bulletin relevant to you now is“Sanitation. ” “The fungus that causes apple scab overwinters onfallen leaves and develops fruiting bodies in the spring. Thus, a ke

step in apple scab management involves preventing fruit body for-mation. ” “Growers can increase leaf decomposit ion and preventthe apple scab fungus from successful ly overwintering on fallen lelit ter. Mulch mowing or flail mowing in the fall or early spring(pr ior to green tip) to shred leaf l it ter can reduce the r isk of scab 80 to 95 percent if all of the leaf l it ter is shredded.”

Importantly—“The incorporation of Vf-resistance into commerciaapples has successfully protected apples against scab since 1926. Bimplementing and integrating a few minor management tactics,growers can protect this valuable genetic resource for use in futurbreeding efforts and reduce the amount of pesticides necessary for

apple disease management.”

D ISASTER PROGRAM —CROP INSURANCE AND NAP U PDATES

PAGE 2 JUST PICK

you to Paul Rasch for hosting that event.

Samuel Pratsch encourages you to use the Eco-Apple and OrganicApple Conference call recordings.

Many of our growers are interested in heir loom apples for market-ing purposes, while many more are concerned with preserving thebiodiversity of apples. Read about Slow Food’s Renewing Amer-ica’s Food Traditions Project that is working to conserve apple bio-diversity in the Great Lakes region.

And lastly, as planned, this is my last issue of Just Picked. When Istarted helping form this grower Network and provide its services, Ihad just grafted my fi rst 200 t rees. Now my tr ees are more numer-ous, mor e are to be planted, and they are start ing to bear fruit . So

my orchard needs me. Yet I look forward to continuing wi th you toshare information and encourage research to improve the organicproduction and marketing of tree fruits in the Midwest.

(Conti nued from page 1)

W ELCOME AND FAREWELL CO N T ’D

When one has NAP coverage, they must file a “Notice of Loss”within 15 days of when the loss is apparent . The causes for loss oftree fruits are usually freezing temperatures in the spring and hail

For more information on NAP coverage, contact your nearest FarService Agency office.

The 2008 Farm Bill created permanent disaster programs for a vaety of crops and li vestock. Many of the disaster programs createdthrough the 2008 farm bill require some level of crop insurance cerage, the “Risk Management Purchase Requirements.” Producermust be aware of these requirements for 2009 and future years ifthey want to be eligible for benefits under these programs once acrop loss or disaster occurs.

Excellent information on crop insurance for organic growers can found on the MOSES website under Resources at http:/ / www.mosesorganic.org/ cropinsurance.html . Check out the AGRLite that i s currently offered in WI, MN, IL and more.

MANAGING SCAB RESISTAN T APPLE

“Organic Apple Production in Iowa”

is a new Extension bulletin by KathleenDelate at Iowa State University.

Contact her at [email protected] or

515-294-7069 for a copy.

http://www.lrftool.sc.egov.usda.gov/tool.asp

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-76-W.pdf



http://www.mosesorganic.org/cropinsurance.html











http://www.lrftool.sc.egov.usda.gov/tool.asp



Lorraine Berkett, Professor of Plant Pathology and IPM Specialistat the University of Vermont, r eports that their project ti tled “UsingNew Alternati ves to Enhance Adoption of Organic AppleProduction through I ntegrated Research and Extension”has been funded by the USDA Organic Research & Extension Init ia-ive for another three years. Congratulations! And now for someexcerpts from her project summary.

While apples are an important component of New England's diversi-ied agricultur e, there are very few organic apple orchards in NewEngland, in part, because of the challenges of growing their tradi-ional apple cultivar, McIntosh. Growers want to know the potentialor sustainable and profi table organic production with newer applecultivars that are being planted in the region.

The project wil l explore the following:1. Cultivars and Organic Apple Systems: The research ini tiated in

2006 to determine the opportunities and challenges of organicapple production with the five cultivars planted in two orchardsystems wi ll continue in the two certi fied organic orchards at theUVM Horticultural Farm in South Burlington, VT. In essence,this is a feasibi li ty/ profitability study asking the fol lowing ques-tions:

(i) What are the opportunities and challenges oforganic apple production with the five cult ivars planted inthe two orchard systems? These cult ivars are: Ginger Gold,

Honeycrisp, Liberty, Macoun and Zestar! The two orchardsystems compared are a new or chard planted with youngnursery trees and an older orchard top-grafted to the newvarieties.

(ii) Is organic apple production profitable and sus-tainable with the knowledge and tools we have and withthese culti vars?

(ii i) W ill there be a long-term di fference in profi t-ability between the two organic orchard systems?

2. Field-Test the Impacts of Seaweed Products: The questions weseek to answer include:

(i) Given adequate mineral nutrit ion and wateravailabil ity, i s there an effect on t ree growth, fruit yield andquality, attributable to applications of commonly used sea-weed products?

(i i) Does application of seaweed products increasetr ee health such that incidence of disease and arthropoddamage is reduced on fr uit and foliage?

(iii) Can the use of seaweed products improve treehealth to a point where they can better resist attack frompests, thereby reducing the need for pesticides used in theorchards?

3. Ground Cover Management. The University of Maine will conduct research on ground cover management for weed control.Ground cover management strategies of close mowing, mulching,and an organic herbicide will be compared on Honeycrisp trees onG.11 and M.26 as to their impact on weeds and tree health.

4. Extension and Outreach. They wi ll provide information via the

Or ganicA website (below) and eOrganic, organized tours of orga

apple farms and of their research orchards, organize a regional wo

shop and develop a Practical Guide to Organic Apple Production.

Read more about this project, its weekly blog with photos duringthe growing season, and its fi rst Progress Report for 2006- 2009 http:/ / www.uvm.edu/ organica/ .

You can contact Prof. Berkett at [email protected].

U NIVERSITY OF VERMONT O RGANIC APPLE PROJECT EXTENDED

PAG E 3 JUST PICK

APPLES AT RISK!

The upper midwestern states surrounding the Great Lakes hosttr emendous food diversity fr om both i ts native and immigrantcultures. However, since World War II, this food diversity hasbeen diminishing, including 36 apple varieties.

“Right now most grocery store chains sell just eleven varieties.But there used to be thousands of varieties eaten … across thecountr y,” according to Dan Bussey who has maintained a diverseorchard of heirloom and cider apples in Edgerton, Wisconsin for

29 years. The reasons for this decline are varied. Bussey be-lieves the changing economics of orchard production and market-ing, and the increasing age of the average orchard-keeper areamong them. Gary Nabhan, founder of the RAFT Al li ance (seebelow) laments that “we are not merely losing heir loom applevarieties in the upper Midwest, but we are also losing America’sunique apple cultur e.” The “Shiawassee Beauty, Mi lwaukee, Pe-waukee, St. Lawr ence and Windsor Chief formerl y remindedmany of the deep relationships that linked particular foods toparticular places and cultural communit ies. Fortunately, thedozens of farmers’ markets and community-supported agricul-ture projects in the Midwest are rekindling interest in place-

based heritage foods.”Slow Food has initiated a project with a host of partners calledRenewing America’s Food Tradit ions or RAFT. For example,they are linking chefs with orchardists who can help them explainto customers the best uses for these heirloom apples, such aspies, sauces, and juice.

CH ECK O UT T W O N EW PI ECES O N T HE RAFT W EBSIT E

HTTP:/ / WWW.SLOWFOODUSA.ORG / INDEX.PHP / PROGRAMS / RAFT _ DETAIL / RESOURCES / .

(Conti nued on page 11)

http://www.uvm.edu/organica/


http://http//WWW.SLOWFOODUSA.ORG/INDEX.PHP














http://www.uvm.edu/organica/



by Harriet Behar of MOSES and adapted by Deirdre Birmingham for treeruit growers

The 2008 farm bill recognized that natural resource conser-vation and organic agriculture share many of the same goals. Twoprograms, EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) and CSP(Conservation Stewardship Program), offer cash benefits to organicarmers. It is important that all organic growers know about and usehese programs to help them be better stewards of their land re-sources. For growers transit ioning orchards to organic management,his program could help ease the tr ansit ion costs.

These USDA programs recognize and reward farmers for thebeneficial activities they pay for and maintain that provide a healthyenvir onment for people and wildlife. Since the vast majori ty of ourand is privately owned, these programs are a way to help privateandowners ‘do the ri ght thing’ for natural resource conservation andprotection.

Some programs have a “continuous sign-up”, with periodicimes when the farmers who have signed up by a specific date are thenranked in a pool. New applications can continue to be accepted aftersignup dates, which will then be ranked in the subsequent rankingperiod.

Environmental Quali ty Incentives Program (EQIP)

The EQIP program had three parts that can help organic

armers.1. The main EQIP program is open to all farmers and

encourages them to address a specific resource concern, (such as wa-er quali ty), with payments for specifi c activi ties, (such as cover cropsor nutrient management planning). Each county has separate poolshat are ranked for payment according to the importance of the re-source concern and the effectiveness of the activity to address thatresource concern.

There are specific dollar amounts given, state by state, forspecific practices. For example, in Wisconsin, cover crop paymentsare $18 per acre. Remember that EQIP is an incentive to do the right

hing and is not meant to pay for all costs incurred for implementinghe practice. It is meant to help the farmer with dollars that can con-ribute to the cost of implementing a resource conservation practice.Also, the practice must be new to the farm, or be somewhat en-hanced.

Many EQIP contracts are for mult iple years, usually fiveyears, and provide payments every year for the length of the contract.

2. The EQIP Organic Initiative was the new additionhis year. This new program runs parallel to the tradit ional EQIPprogram but offers higher payments for the same practices to farmerswhose management practices are either currently organic or in transi-ion to organic. There are six core EQIP practices where the usual

payment rate is increased by a percentage or multi plier effect. Applications were ranked higher this year if they used two or more cpractices. The signup period for this program is closed, but i t doe

appear there will be a similar program next year, although the specific core practices and multipliers may be different. These are onNRCS website under the electronic Field Operator’s TechnicalGuide, or eFOTG, for each state. It would be good for tr ee fruitgrowers to learn now about the variety of practices that EQIP coufund to help you be prepared when this program opens for enroll-ment next year.

Three of these core practices may be most applicable to tfruit growers: Pest Management, Cover Crops, and Nutrient Management. For example, Ken Mandley, operator of Deedon LakeOrchard in NW Wisconsin, is using these three practices. To useCover Crops practice, he plans to dr il l clover and perennial floweseeds to increase bio-diversity, attract pollinators and other benefinsects, and add nit rogen-f ix ing plants to the existing grasses. Sincthere is only grass, this is a new activit y and is thus fundable. He wreceive 42% more per acre than in the main EQIP Cover Crop Pratice of $18/ acre. (In WI $18 + $7.56= $25.56/ acre). This coveless than half his costs to buy and plant the seed, but is still helpfuFor the Pest Management practice he is moving from a cover spraan IPM approach. The orchard was abandoned until Ken startedmanaging it three years ago wi th organic methods. But he was nothighly selective as to when and what was sprayed. For this practiche is proposing to purchase weather monitoring equipment to heldetermine appropriate timing of pest interventions. For the NutriManagement practice, he plans to undertake soil and t issue testingpinpoint foliar application of nutrients to increase fruit yield andquality.

The Pest Management practice may not work in all casesproducer may not be eligible specifically for the pest managementunless they are addressing a specific resource concern, although acase might be made for increasing birds or bat habitat in the orchaas a way to improve the environment and lessen the use of any typof pest control inputs. Ground that is being tr ansit ioned to start aorchard might qualify for the pest management practice. A sympathetic and creative NRCS distr ict conservationist would be helpfu

this situation, but it might not be approved at the state or federallevel. Since understanding of organic production systems is new tthe NRCS at both the state and federal level, more activities may bapproved in the future as the EQIP Organic Initiative matures.

3. Organic Transition Plans Another addition to EQwas payments to help farmers, both new to organic and currentlyorganic, to write a plan and assess land to transition to organic maagement. One does not have to be in the EQIP main or O rganicInit iative to apply to this program. Technical Service Providers(TSP) write these plans. They are familiar with both Natural Re-source Conservation Service (NRCS) and National Organic Progr

(NOP) requirements for resource conservation and certi fied orga

PAG E 4 JUST PICK

USDA REWARDS O RGANIC PRO DU CERS FO R CO N SERVATIO N ACTIVITIES



production. Plans wr it ten for those tr ansit ioning to organic produc-ion would identify additional funding that might be received throughhe NRCS EQIP or other programs. A grower needs to fi nd a TSPrecognized by the NRCS in his or her state.

For those in W isconsin, Jeff Gunderson at MOSES is certi -

ied by the NRCS as a Technical Service Provider (TSP) to write tran-sit ion plans. He works wi th the grower to develop the plan and sub-mits his invoice to the grower. The grower pays the TSP and is reim-bursed by the NRCS on a cost-sharing basis. In WI, the NRCS pro-vides 80% of the plan’s cost, up to $1040 for an organic grower t ran-sit ioning more land to organic and up to $1465 for a non-organicgrower transit ioning land. For beginning farmers and socially disad-vantaged farmers, the NRCS covers 100% of the cost, up to $1700.n addition, to applying for the Organic EQIP Initiative, Ken Mandleyapplied for funding to have a tr ansit ion plan wr itten by Jeff Gunder-son. They wil l be finishing that plan next month and submitting it tohe NRCS for approval.

Rates for the various practices and for the plan developmentare outli ned in the NRCS “cookbook” for each state. The link forWisconsin’ s cookbook is ftp:/ / ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/ WI/ eqip/ 2009/ cookbook09.pdf . A new cookbook is expected in 2010hat may have some rate changes. The cookbook also describes each

NRCS practice.

While tree fruit farmers may be interested primarily in theOrganic Transition Plans, the 2008 Farm Bill also had two other typesof planning assistance, Forestry Plans and Energy Audit Plans, thatnclude resource conservation components.

Ken found the NRCS in his county to be quite helpful but

because the program was new they were on the same learning curve

as he was. Ken may not have gotten his application completed on

ime if he did not take time and initiative to dig for information on

he new program. So far Ken beli eves the program will be worth-

while to his orchard. He is currently Cert if ied Naturally Grown and

without this assistance probably would not have pursued organic cer-

if ication because of the cost of planning and documentation. By us-

ng forms and guidance from the certifier he chose, MOSA, in the

Transition Plan he believes the work he is doing with Jeff will prepare

him for inspection and certification.

Conservation Stewardship ProgramThe new 2009 Conservati on Stewardship Program (CSP)

replaces the old Conservation Security Program (CSP) covered in theprevious farm bill . This program might be a better fi t for orchardshat are alr eady certif ied organic. Both CSPs tie payments to conser-

vation activit ies done by farmers on their working lands. The newCSP also emphasizes and provides payments for new conservationactivit ies. Al l CSP contracts are now for five years, with a potentialrenewal option for an addit ional five years. The old CSP was open toarmers only in targeted watershed areas and enrolled approximately20 million acres in total.

The new CSP program allows 12.8 million acres nationato be enrolled for each of the five years of this current program anopen to all farms having a “farm record number” with the Farm Sevice Agency (FSA). If your farm has participated in any commoditpayment programs or the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP),

you would meet this requirement. If you are not li sted with theFSA, you will need to make an appointment to create a farm recobringing proof of ownership (deed) or lease of the land, l ocationmaps outlining crop fields and other land uses as they are currentlmanaged and any business related legal papers (article of incorporation, trusts, etc.) . Al l acreage under your management must be icluded in your farm record, both owned and rented.

Additionally, all of your farm acres must be enrolled, in-cluding pastures. This is a whole farm program. An orchard wi thlease contract for five or more years could be included.

The two upcoming deadlines for CSP are September 30,2009, and mid-January 2010. CSP is available to farmers or rancwho have both cropland (which includes, row crops, pasture, foraand vegetables) and/ or private (nonindustr ial) forestland on theirpropert y. Ten percent of the funds wi ll be given to forestland owers nationwide who have demonstr ated conservation with their timber management. The first payment for both the September andJanuary ranking periods will be dispersed in October of 2010.

To apply, the producer must first establish eligibility witFSA, then sign a program appli cation at the NRCS office. Applicathen make an appointment to work wi th their local NRCS personcomplete the Conservation Measurement Tool, which describes adocuments your current and future conservation activi ties. This is

lengthy process that may take 90 to 120 minutes. The data develoin the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) is used by the NRto rank applications and develop stewardship plans and contracts. addition to the CMT, local NRCS personnel will visit your farm toverify the CMT information and review documentation for existinconservation practices. Farmers who demonstr ate good current cservation on their farm as well as willingness to perform additionaconservation measures should consider applying for the program.

In W isconsin, the main prior it y concerns are soil erosionwater quality, protection of plants and animals, as well as conservation that leads to l ess reliance on nonrenewable energy sources.Check wi th the NRCS in your state for its priority concerns. Eac

state is divided into “ranking pools”, where the farmers in these pare ranked against others only within their pool.

The amount of dollars or approved acres for each rankinpool will limit the number of CSP contracts that can be accepted.The cap for payment is $40,000 per year, or $200,000 for the fiveyear period. The NRCS estimates that payments will average $18per acre nationwide, but this wi ll vary by region, l and use and theindi vidual level of existing and planned stewardship. Contact youcounty NRCS person to find out the boundary of your ranking poarea and your state’s specific priority concerns.

(Conti nued on pag

PAG E 5 JUST PICK

ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/WI/

ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/WI/



Many who could not at tend our fi eld day at Al- Mar Orchards have asked for copi es of handouts. Whi le many were provided there andare up on our websi te, this one may be the most sought af ter . I t was wr i tt en by Jim Koan who owns and operates the far m wit h hi s wi fe,Karen, to descri be not only thi s year ’s management scenari o and str ategies, but al so some of their bi gger pictur e considerat ions. ( Please

see the Spr ing 2009 issue of Just Picked for hi s soil prepar at ion system.)AL-MAR ORCH ARDS H AS POOR SOIL, A POOR SITE (LACKS AIR DRAINAGE) AN D A POOR MARKET LOCATION …BU T OUR FAMI LY H AS MANAGED TO MAKE A LI VIN G HERE FOR 35 YEARS I N ADDI TI ON TO PU TTI NG FI VEKIDS THROUGH COLLEGE

Biggest Challenges This Year1. Managing crop load for this year and next year because of a 25% crop last year

I need only a 2% fruit set

Thinned with salt 3-4 times plus lime sulfur / oil on some varieties once or twice

Thinning didn’t follow normal r esponse – some var ieties set too much and others were over-thinned

2. Too much rain and too much wind before and after each scab event

3. A lot of mice damage from last winter’ s record snow fall and extended snow cover

Fertil it y Program

On older, more established trees – no fertility inputs

On younger trees where we are growing a tree and a crop of apples – 400 to 600 lbs. of dried chicken manure per acre,

banded under the tree in December

On t rees on their 1st through 3rd leaf, I apply f ish at 1 gallon/ 100, plus Chilean nit rate at 5 l bs./ 100 every 3-4 days, May to

August.

Hi gher density trees are grown under Swiss Sandwich Management where they are rototi lled 4-5 t imes per season and mid-

dles are mowed with a Seppi mower that throws the grass back under the trees

Pruning ProgramOlder trees are chain-sawed only and high-density trees are pruned with hand limb-lockers

Spray Program

Apple scab -- copper/ lime or sulfur / lime sulfur from

green tip to July pri or to every scab infection

Plum curculio -- perimeter lures and Surr ound at petal fall

and Pyganic perimeter sprays when needed

Codling moth -- mating disruption at 400 ties/ acre plus

virus and oils if above threshold (1 t rap/ 2 acres; oi l at 150 to

200 degree days base 50 past threshold; virus at 250 DD past

threshold [virus first generation and oil second generation])

Apple maggot – border traps and then GF120 as needed

European red mite – oil late July, 1% oil/ 100 gallon wa-

ter, then mid-August during codling moth outbreaks

JUN E 20 09 FIELD D AY AT AL-MAR O RCHARDS

JUST PICKEDPAG E 6

Cultivator for weeding along tree rows.



seasons. The calls are also available through the Apple Talkblog. Contact Samuel Pratsch, at [email protected] or 608-265-3637 to get a login and password for Apple Talk. The blogcan be accessed at www.thinkipm.org/ appletalk . From theblog’s main page, click on "conference calls" link to see summa-ries for a couple of different conference call series. Cli ck on thesummary you want, then scroll down to download the audiorecording.

While the Organic Apple Grower’ s calls concentrated on theconcerns of intermediate to advanced midwestern commercial

growers, beginning orchardists, backyard gardeners, and grow-ers from other regions are more than welcome to l isten in.

What a great opportunity to explore the nuance of orchardhealth, insects, and fungal events while reflecting on this seasonand planning for the season ahead!

For questions please contact call coordinator Samuel Pratsch [email protected], or 608-265-3637.

This past spring the Eco-Frui t Project at UW-Madison’s Centerfor Integrated Agricultural Systems in cooperation with the Or-ganic Tree Fruit Association offered free conference calls withorganic orchard consultant Michael Phil lips. Author of The Ap-ple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist, Michael Phillips is apioneering organic apple grower. He is a consultant for or-chardists across the nation and compiles holistic apple researchon his website, GrowOrganicApples.com. Michael manages atwo-acre organic orchard in Groveton, New Hampshire (Zone4), and faces many of the same challenges as growers in theMidwest.

The Organic Apple Grower’ s Hour calls explored a number ofholistic approaches to orchard management including holisticdisease management, balancing insect dynamics, orchard health,fungal all ies, soil fert il it y and ecosystem thinking. The callswere recorded and can be accessed either over the phone or theInternet. There is an archive of al l call recordings that can beaccessed over the phone. First, dial: 641-715-3800, enter thisaccess code: 95226, then follow the directions to listen to anyof the Organic Apple Grower’s Hours from the 2008 or 2009

T HE O RGANIC APPLE GROWER’S H O UR IN 2 0 0 9

PAG E 7 JUST PICKED

** All inputs except labor pruning cost approximately

$1000/ acre

* * 80% of fr uit goes to processing for jui ce and sauce

with some done on the farm

** 20% of fruit goes into fresh market

* * 15-20 cents per pound is considered “break even” forthe farm

* * Questioning whether sulfur works effectively with

Surround

* * Questioning if Bud9 is a good rootstock to use in

organics due to mice problems

Future Visions

Need more sustainability and to buy less inputs

Replanting to mostly scab-resistant varieties

Mor e on-farm pr ocessing of apples, meats and other

products

Future will have all high-density plantings

Diversifying our farm products

Moving towards less retail and tours whi le everyone seems to be moving toward more retail and tours. (Retail and organic may

not be compatible.)

Jim Koan owns and operates 120 acres of cert if ied organic apples in Michigan.


http://www.thinkipm.org/appletalk



http://www.thinkipm.org/appletalk




by Barr ett R. Gr uberFormer Gr aduat e Research Assistantand Patricia S. McManus

Vaughan – Bascom Professor of Plant PathologyExtension Plant Pathologis, University of Wisconsin – Madison

The fungusBlumeriella jaapii causes cherry leaf spot disease (CLS) onart cherry and to a lesser extent on sweet cherry. Early symptoms ofCLS include spotting and yellow ing of leaves. If symptoms appearearly in the season, trees suffering from CLS may fail to produce apremium crop. Di seased leaves can fall prematurely and, in severecases, the enti re canopy may be defol iated several weeks before nor-mal leaf senescence. Premature defol iation makes trees more proneo winter injury and can limit return bloom the following spring.

All commercially acceptable varieties of tart cherry are susceptible toCLS. For that reason, conventional growers in the Great Lakes regionrely on synthetic fungicides to contr ol CLS, although their effort shave been thwarted asB. jaapii has developed resistance to differentungicides. Although copper has been used for more than a century toprotect crops, there are no cases of copper-resistant fungal patho-gens. Some formulations of copper-based fungicides are approved fororganic production and are effective in contr oll ing CLS. Thus, copperhas potential benefits for both conventional and organic cherry grow-ers. However, a side effect of copper-based fungicides is the appear-ance of br onze-colored lesions, especially on the undersides of leaves(see photo). It is not clear if this bronzing is merely cosmetic or if itcould impair photosynthesis and in turn affect fruit quality. Our re-search group has recently completed experiments investigating theeffects of copper-associated leaf bronzing on tart cherry fruit quali ty.Our work was not conducted using organic practices, but some of theindings should be relevant to organic growers who experience leafbronzing after using copper fungicides.

Experiments

Field experiments were conducted at the Universit y of Wisconsin –Madison Peninsular Agricul tural Research Station in Sturgeon Bay,Wisconsin. An orchard of ‘ Montmorency’ (on Prunus mahaleb root-stock) tart cherry trees was established in 1995 and was used for allr ials. Groups of tr ees were randomly assigned to one of three differ-ent spray programs in 2007, 2008, and 2009: (i) integrated copperprogram consisting of both copper-sulfate fungicides and syntheticungicides; (ii) conventional program consisting exclusively of syn-hetic fungicides; (iii) nonsprayed check. Fungicide applications beganat or short ly after petal fall and continued every 7 to 17 days until lateJuly.

To monitor leaf bronzing and the quality of developing fruit, cherriesand leaves were collected from terminal shoots from trees in each

treatment program once pits had hardened. Collections were re-peated about every 7 to 10 days until late July when fruits were mture. The average number of fruits per terminal shoot, as well as taverage fruit fresh weight and soluble solids concentration (SSC,quanti ty of carbohydrate in fruit juice) were recorded. Images ofleaves collected from the integrated copper program were digitizeto measure the percentage of leaf surface exhibi ting bronzing.

Findings

In the three years of our study, the average number of fruits pershoot, fruit fresh weight, and SSC were similar among the two funcide programs and nonsprayed check. Within a given year, the nuber of fr uits per shoot was simi lar for the two fungicide programs(integrated copper and conventional synthetic) and nonsprayedchecks. In each year, fr uit fr esh weight and SSC increased throughlate June and July until fruit were ready for harvest. Average cherfruit fresh weight and SSC did not differ among the two fungicideprograms and nonsprayed check on the last collection date, in lateJuly, in all three years. Fruit fresh weight ranged from about 4.5grams to 5.3 grams per cherry and fruit SSC ranged from about 14to 16% per cherry for the two fungicide programs and nonsprayedcheck during the last week of July in all years.

Copper-associated leaf bronzing had litt le effect on tart cherry fr ufresh weight and SSC. On the last collection date in every year, leasampled from the integrated copper program had a maximum of 6to 22% of their surface affected by bronzing. In 2007, as leaf surfa

Effects of Copper-Sulfate Fungicide on Tart Cherry Fruit Quantity and Quality

PAG E 8 JUST PIC

Copper- associated l eaf di scolorati on on t he underside of a tar t cherry(‘Montmorency’) leaf. Discoloration is characterized by discrete, bronze-

colored lesions on the veins and diffuse or mottled bronzing of the tissue btween veins.



bronzing increased, fruit fresh weight decreased slightly and SSC in-creased slightly. While the effects in 2007 were statistically signifi-cant, they likely do not t ranslate to biologically significant r elation-ships between leaf br onzing and fruit quali ty. In 2008 and 2009, therewas no effect of leaf bronzing on fruit fresh weight and SSC. The na-ure and development of copper-associated leaf bronzing is not clear,

and it remains to be seen if this discoloration has effects on tart cherryr ee health other than fruit quali ty. However, previous studies havedemonstr ated clearly that CLS reduces fruit quality, yield, and treehealth.

Bottom Line

The minimal effects of copper-associated leaf bronzing are almostcertainly outweighed by the disease control benefits. A spray programconsisting of both copper-sulfate and synthetic fungicides had little orno effect on the average number of fruits per shoot, fruit fresh weightand SSC, compared to a conventional program which only consistedof synthetic fungicides. Leaf bronzing had lit tle or no effect on tart

cherry fruit fresh weight and SSC. While our studies were conductedat just one site, trials were run over three summers and providedresults that were comparable among years. We acknowledge thatcopper is generally toxic, however, and is injur ious not only to leavesand pathogens but also some beneficial organisms in orchard systems.As with any pesticide, copper fungicides should be applied judiciouslyand as part of an integrated approach to disease management.

Patricia McManus can be reached at 608-265-2047 orpsm@ plant path.wi sc.edu

Twenty-five to thir ty pigs were rotated every 3 days between eacof 3 grazed plots throughout the June drop period. No damage wanoted in any of the plots to either tr ees or tr ee roots. There was aminor amount of feeding on fr uit from branches close to the groubut not to an extent where Jim considered this feeding to be a concern.

The mean number of aborted fruit per tr ee was 65.5, 13.7% which contained plum curculio oviposition scars. Even with a dou

bling of plot size to 2 acres, the grazing hogs still consumed 94.3%of the June Drop apples in about the same number of days spentgrazing as in 2007 and 2008.

Weed stand density did not appear to be as signifi cantly im-pacted in 2009 as compared to 2009. Final result s for weed standdensity and codling moth damage will be released pending final dacollection and analysis.

This data provides us wi th more information to use in eventually determining the optimal number of hogs per acre necessary toconsume potentially insect infested apples as a pest managementtactic.

PAG E 9 JUST PICKE

In t eg r at in g Or g a n ic Appl e a n d Ho g Pr o d u c t io n — A Pr o j ec t Upd at

by Davi d Epstein and Mat t Gri eshopM I State U ni versi ty Department of Entomol ogy

The hog project at Jim Koan's Al-Mar Orchards continued de-spite very limi ted funding in 2009. The research plots for grazing thehogs were moved to a higher density Ginger Gold planting (7' X15'), and the plots were doubled in size to 2 acres.

We were primaril y interested in seeing whether hog grazing

and rooting in a high-density planting resulted in damage to the treeand/ or t ree roots not seen in the lower densit y (15' X 22'), matureMac and Ida Red planting where the hogs had grazed for 2 years pre-viously.

We were also interested in increasing plot size to better under-stand the relationship between the number of hogs grazed and theconsumption of June drop apples potentially containing plum curcu-io (PC) and/ or codling moth larvae. In previous years, 25-30 graz-ng hogs (under 60 lbs) consumed over 99% of dropped apples(average of 127/ tr ee) in one-acre plots during the June drop period.

The hogs grazed in 2009 were a bit smaller in size (25-35 lbs).

-by Matthew J. Grieshop, Ph.D.Department of Entomol ogy, M i chi gan State U niversit y

(517) 432-803; gri eshop@ msu.edu www.opm.msu.edu

We had interesting results for the new organic hops project on JimKoan's AlMar Orchards in Flushing, Michigan. This one-year projewas funded by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)wi th the objectives of determining the feasibi li ty of adapting high-density apple hort icultural methods to hops production and to identi fy promising hops varieties for the upper Midwest.Sixteen hops varieties were planted in a single berm with 16' trell ispoles and a two-wire trelli s system for support. Ten vines wereplanted for each variety in March 2009 and plots were monitored fgrowth and pest populations on a weekly basis. The 16 var ieties se

lected for testing were: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Wil liamettFuggle, Magnum, Mt. Hood, Nugget, Perle, Pride of Ringwood,Northern Brewer, Sterling, Kent Golding, Brewers Gold, Galena,and Golding.Summer 2009 proved to be the 10th coldest in recorded weatherhistory in Michigan. Hops growth was slow with an average maxi-mum height of 76" reached by Centennial. (W e expected twicethis.) Brewers Gold, Chinook, Pride of Ringwood and Cascade wethe only varieties to produce cones in their first year with an averagwet yield of 2.78, 2.64, 2.0, and 0.14 oz/ per vine, respectively.

(Continued on page

O RGANIC H OPS: AN ALTERNATIVE FO R

T REE FRUIT GROWERS?



http://www.opm.msu.edu/

http://www.opm.msu.edu/





by Harry Hoch, Acting Chair

Review of this year’s activity

We have filed our Ar ticles of Incorporation in the State of Minnesotaas the Organic Tree Fruit Growers Association (OTFA). We are go-ng to apply for 501(c)3 nonprofi t status.

We have a draft of our bylaws posted on the Network W ebsite. Weare currently taking comments from paid OTFA members and listen-ng to suggestions from Network li st serve participants.

We applied for and were awarded a USDA Specialt y Crops BlockGrant through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. We areworking with MDA to create our funding contract. The grant pro-posal is posted on the Network Website on the OTFA page.

The OTFA board is in the process of hir ing an individual to developmembership materials for OTFA and work on a membership drive.

Goals for 2009

Finalize Bylaws

Put a final draft of the bylaws up to a membership votebefore November.

Membership MeetingWe are planning a membership meeting in December. We areworking out the details to have this meeting in Grand Rapids,Michigan fol lowing the Organic Frui t session at the EXPO. Our

goal is to hold our first election for board members at this mem-bership meeting.

Membership DriveCreate membership materials and invite more growers to par

ticipate.

New Board of DirectorsWe hope to get some new faces to part icipate in the manage-ment of OTFA. Our acting board of dir ectors is ready to hanover the leadership of this organization to a group elected by membership.

We are invi ting you to become a charter member of thisnew organization and participate in developing its structure and ppose. In February of 2008, we formed the temporary board of di

rectors and agreed on a rough idea of what we wanted this newgroup to do. In the past year, we defined our goals a li tt le moreclearly, set a $50 membership fee, fi led our art icles of incorpora-tion, and started working with a consultant to help build the Association. W e also funded the activit ies of the Tree Fruit Network aincreased its activity. We organized a grafting workshop at theMOSES conference, advocated for and got an Organic Universitysession on advanced apple production, set up a scionwood exchangand hosted a social event for grafting and meeting other tree fruitgrowers at the MOSES conference. We had two very successfulsummer tours.

The Midwest Organic Tree Fruit Growers Network will

not changeat this point in t ime. The Network wil l continue to bthe communicati on arm of O TFA and wi ll continue to be a free sevice to all individuals interested in organic tree fruit production. you choose not to be a member of the Association (OTFA), you casti ll participate in the li st serve, access information from our website, receive the newsletter, and attend the field days and retreats

We sincerely hope you will seriously consider becoming a membeof the Association and participate in its development. If you havequestions feel fr ee to contact any of the acting board members.

Harry Hoch, Chair , La Crescent, MN; [email protected]

Jim Koan, Flushing, MI; [email protected] 810-659-656

Tom Rosenfeld, Berrien Center, MI; [email protected]

Maury W ill s, Adel, IA; [email protected] 515-281-5783

PAG E 10 JUST PICK

Look for a new publi cat ion in 2010

“The Apple in North America, a Compendium ofApples Grown in North America 1629 to 2001”

by Dan Bussey

and published by the Ceres Foundation.

The book includes the complete apple watercolorcollection (some 3500 images) from the National

Agricultural Library, Special Collections Dept. of theUSDA. This will be more of a reference book than

something most growers will be able to afford.

O RGANIC TREE FRUIT ASSOCIATION (OTFA)











Examples of conservation activi ties include use of covercrops to prevent soil and water erosion, enhancing plant biodiver-sity, and improving wildl ife habitat. These items would meet Wis-consin’ s prior it y concerns. If a producer decides to also put in na-tive pollinator habitat, this is beyond the priority concern for Wis-consin, but could still receive some points in the ConservationMeasurement Tool. Changing cropland to perennial poll inatorhabitat would be an example where the producer would foregoincome in favor of a conservation activi ty.

Forestland owners who are participating in timber standimprovement or regenerating old windbreaks may also find CSP a

beneficial program to aid t hem in their conservation efforts.

Addi ti onal Resources

Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Programhttp:/ / sustainableagriculture.net/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2008/ 08/ CSP_FarmersGuide_final_September_2009.pdf

Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service- MOSES-www.mosesorganic.org 715-778-5775, 608-872-2164 or [email protected]

(Conti nued from page 5)

JUST PICKEPAGE 11

FORGOTTEN FRUITS MANUAL & MANI FESTO - APPLES

(DRAFT)

The purpose of this booklet— half manifesto and half manual— is help chart a plan of action to restore apple diversity to farms, backyard orchards, restaurants and home tables. They welcome com-ments and feedback on the draft.

PLACE-BASED FOODS AT RISK IN THE

GREAT LAKES

This booklet includes a working li st of rareplace-based foods, including a list of Gr eatLakes apples, with unique traditions in GreaLakes landscapes, waterways and cultures.There are also essays from Great Lakes resi-dents who are working to protect and revive

these foods. Slow Food invit es you to add, amend or " champion”foods on this list. Send all list additions and edits to [email protected].

(Continued from page 3)

USDA REWARDS CON TIN UED

JO IN OTFA T ODAY!

Organic Tree Fruit Association – 2009

Membership is $50 annuall y. Please make your check payable to the “Organic Tree Fruit Association” and mail it to: Maury W ill s, OTFASecretary, 33130 Panther Cr eek Rd., Adel, IA 50003

My tree fruit production and marketing to date: (Include types of fruits, # of trees, acres of tr ees, certif ied organic or not, direct market,

wholesale, or combination)

Your name(s):

Farm Name:

Street Address:

City/ Town, State, Zip:

Email: Phone:

APPLES AT RISK CONTINUED

http://sustainableagriculture.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/














http://www.mosesorganic.org/

http://sustainableagriculture.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/



7258 Kelly Rd.Mineral Point, W I 53565

M ID W EST O RGANIC T REE

FRUIT GROW ERS N ETWORK

C A L E N D A R

yield in the second year.Two-spotted spider mites and powderymildew were two pests of consequencein our planting and seemed to preferCascade and Chinook varieties. We alsolost a few vines to "mower blight" andmay have had damage associated withdeer feeding and Japanese beetle.

We are still collecting data for this project. A full report wi ll be on the OFRFwebsite (www.ofrf.org) in early2010. We intend to request addit ionalfunds from OFRF for the 2011 year inanticipation of a better second-year har-vest.

NAP 2010 Application Deadl ineNovember 20 Contact your nearest Farm

Service Agency offi ce to enrol l. See insidefor more information.

Great Lakes Frui t, Vegetable andFarm Market Expo December 8, 9 and10. Grand Rapids, MI. www.glexpo.comDec. 10 features organic tree fruitproduction, sweet cider and hard cidersessions.

OTFA Membership Meeting immedi-ately foll owing the organic tree frui t ses-sions on December 10th.

MOSESOrganic University andConference February 25-27, La Crosse,WI.

Funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency

H O PS

JOIN OTFA TODAY!MEMBERSHIP FORM ON

PAGE 11.

Harvests were lower than expected for a first year planting; we had hoped for asmuch as 4oz. wet weight per plant. It is likely that most of the hop plants’ first year

growth went into establishing roots. Thus, we expect to see improved growth and

(conti nued fr om page 9)

http://www.ofrf.org/

http://www.glexpo.com/

http://www.glexpo.com/

http://www.ofrf.org/

Fall 2009 Just Piced Newsletter, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service

Documents

Transcript of Fall 2009 Just Piced Newsletter, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service